Investigation of the exposure to rabies virus in selected animals in the Kruger National Park
Rossouw, Leana
Rossouw, Leana
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Abstract
Rabies is a zoonotic disease caused by a virus of the genus Lyssavirus and is a fatal disease in warm-blooded vertebrates. Rabies occurs in close proximity to Kruger National Park and could threaten conservation efforts. Domestic dogs infected with rabies occasionally enter the Kruger National Park and may be a source of rabies exposure for wildlife. The goal of this study was to determine if Kruger National Park carnivores show evidence of exposure to rabies virus. Samples from African wild dog (Lycaon pictus), spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta), lion (Panthera leo), leopard (Panthera pardus) and banded mongoose (Mungo mungo) were tested using the Bio-Pro Enzyme linked immunoassay kit in parallel with the fluorescent antibody virus neutralisation test to detect rabies antibodies as a measure of exposure to rabies. Of 168 carnivore serum samples tested eight (4.8%) showed Percentage blocking greater than or equal to 40, which indicate the presence of rabies-binding antibodies. No association between carnivores with rabies-binding antibodies and their distance to the closest community bordering Kruger National Park was observed. Rabies-binding antibodies detected by the Bio-Pro kit can suggest carnivore’s exposure to other lyssaviruses such as Lagos bat virus, or exposure to an attenuated form of lyssaviruses.
Description
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree, Magister Technologiae Veterinary Technology in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Science at the Faculty of Science
Date
2018-06
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Tshwane University of Technology
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Keywords
Exposure, Rabies virus, animals, Kruger National Park